Skip to main content. You are here Astronomy. What Is an Eclipse? The two types of eclipses that we witness here on Earth are solar eclipses and lunar eclipses: A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly in front of the Sun, partially or entirely blocking out its light.
Solar eclipses are visible only in certain areas and require eye protection to be viewed safely. A lunar eclipse occurs when the full Moon enters the shadow of Earth, which cuts off all or part of the sunlight reflected off the Moon. Learn more about lunar terminology. There are a few different ways for lunar and solar eclipses to happen: A total eclipse of either the Moon or the Sun occurs when the Moon or Sun is entirely blocked out.
During a total lunar eclipse , the Moon is completely obscured by the dark center of Earth's shadow called the umbra , giving the Moon a dark, reddish hue. During a total solar eclipse , the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon, resulting in a brief period of awe-inspiring darkness. A partial eclipse of either the Moon or the Sun occurs when only part of the Moon or Sun is obscured.
An annular eclipse is a type of solar eclipse. Annular eclipses are similar to total solar eclipses where the Sun is completely obscured by the Moon , but in an annular eclipse, the Moon's apparent size is smaller than the Sun's, meaning that the Sun is not completely obscured. This results in a very bright ring of light called an annulus. A penumbral eclipse is a type of lunar eclipse. Penumbral eclipses occur when the Moon enters only the faint outer edge of Earth's shadow called the penumbra , which causes the Moon to appear slightly darker than usual.
The effect is so slight that a penumbral eclipse can be hard to recognize unless you know to look for it! There is also a phenomenon called a transit, which is similar to an eclipse, though not quite as visually stunning: A transit occurs when one celestial body passes between a larger celestial body and a third celestial body. For example, when Mercury passes between the Sun and the Earth, this is called a transit of Mercury.
Because Earth is the third planet from the Sun, we are able to observe transits of both Mercury and Venus. These video feeds are a good fallback if you encounter cloudy weather, or if you just don't want to stay up late or get up early to watch the eclipse in person. VTP is collaborating with astrophotographers from around the world along with offering live commentary from astrophysicist Gianluca Masi.
The next lunar eclipse will be visible from India on 8 November, It will be a total lunar eclipse. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA , which predicts several space events, has said that Earth will be experiencing a total of lunar eclipses in the 21st century. As per NASA, lunar eclipses can occur a maximum of three times a year. Lunar eclipse occurs on a full moon day when the Earth comes in between the Sun and the Moon and when all the three objects are aligned.
A total lunar eclipse will occur when the whole Moon comes under the umbral shadow of the Earth and the partial lunar eclipse occurs when only a part of the Moon comes under the umbral shadow of the Earth. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Some sunlight passing through Earth's atmosphere is scattered and refracted, or bent, and refocused on the moon, giving it a dim glow even during totality.
If you were standing on the moon, looking back at the sun, you'd see the black disk of Earth blocking the entire sun, but you'd also see a ring of reflected light glowing around the edges of Earth — that's the light that falls on the moon during a total lunar eclipse. Partial lunar eclipse : Some eclipses are only partial. But even a total lunar eclipse goes through a partial phase on either side of totality.
During the partial phase, the sun, Earth and moon are not quite perfectly aligned, and Earth's shadow appears to take a bite out of the moon. Penumbral lunar eclipse : This is the least interesting type of eclipse, because the moon is in Earth's faint outer penumbral shadow.
Unless you're a seasoned skywatcher, you likely won't notice the effect, in which the moon is subtly shaded by Earth's shadow. The moon may turn red or coppery colored during the total portion of an eclipse. The red moon is possible because while the moon is in total shadow, some light from the sun passes through Earth's atmosphere and is bent toward the moon.
While other colors in the spectrum are blocked and scattered by Earth's atmosphere, red light tends to make it through easier. The effect is to cast all the planet's sunrises and sunsets on the moon. Christopher Columbus leveraged a blood-red eclipse in to frighten natives on Jamaica into feeding him and his crew. It was on Columbus' fourth and final voyage to the New World. An epidemic of shipworms ate holes in the ships of his fleet; Columbus' was forced to abandon two ships.
He then beached his last two on Jamaica on June 25, The natives welcomed the castaways and fed them. But after six months, Columbus' crew mutinied, and robbed and murdered some of the Jamaicans, who had grown weary of feeding the crew.
Columbus had an almanac that foretold a lunar eclipse on Feb. He met the local chief, and told him the Christian god was angry with his people for no longer supplying food. Columbus said to expect a sign of God's displeasure three nights later, when he would make the full moon appear "inflamed with wrath. Just before the total phase of the eclipse was about to end, Columbus said God had pardoned the natives and would bring the moon back. The crew was well fed until help arrived in November and Columbus and his men sailed back to Spain.
Lunar eclipses are among the easiest skywatching events to observe. Simply go out, look up and enjoy. You don't need a telescope or any other special equipment.
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